Benedictine is country's fastest-growing university

January 22, 2014

In 2014, The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked Benedictine University as the No.1 fastest-growing campus in the country among private nonprofit doctoral institutions between 2002-2012. During this 10-year span, the University’s enrollment grew by an impressive 132 percent, from 2,809 students in 2002 to 6,516 students in 2012.

The following initiatives have greatly contributed to the University’s overall growth:

Expansion of new academic programs in Lisle.

Increased access to online and flexible adult learning.

The addition of new programs and classes overseas in China and Vietnam.

The creation of the National Moser Center for Adult Learning in Naperville, Ill.

Advancing 42 additional Illinois class sites.

Addition of Kindlon Hall of Learning and Birck Hall of Science in 2001.

Founders’ Woods Apartments, a student community of one-, two- and four-bedroom apartment homes, completed in 2001.

$10 million Village of Lisle-Benedictine University Sports Complex featuring a stadium, field and track with seating for more than 3,000 fans and visitors, and baseball and softball fields, was completed in 2004.

Partnership with Springfield College in Illinois that evolved into a decision to establish Benedictine University at Springfield in 2009 as a four-year branch campus offering a full range of academic programs.

$6.7 million renovation of the 11,000-square-foot Dan and Ada Rice Center Arena and Fitness Center completed in 2011.

$3 million Benedictine University Library and Kindlon Hall renovation in 2012.

Neff Welcome Center renovation completed in 2012.

New $600,000 Benedictine Golf Center and training facility opened in 2012.

Branch campus in Mesa, Ariz., opens in 2012.

Benedictine University at Mesa holds inaugural academic term in fall 2013.

The University has continually added new majors that meet the needs and demands of today’s world, offering 51 traditional undergraduate majors including the new Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Analytics and the Bachelor of Arts in Exercise Sports studies. The University also provides 11 traditional undergraduate minors and seven adult accelerated undergraduate majors. Students may also choose from 16 graduate programs and 32 graduate certificates and from four doctoral programs.

In fall 2012, the University opened a branch campus in Mesa, Ariz., and held its inaugural academic term in fall 2013. It is the first, four-year Catholic university campus in Arizona. Through the creation of the University’s fifth college, the Global College, Benedictine will continue to expand its programs and partnerships with other universities and nations across the globe. At the main campus in Lisle, the University is embarking on the construction of a new academic building for the College of Business to offer students an unmatched level of learning by the fall of 2015. In addition to classrooms, study areas, offices, a 40-seat state-of-the-art trading laboratory and a 600-seat auditorium, the building will house the college’s internationally recognized doctoral programs in Organization Development and Values-Driven Leadership.

Benedictine continues to be recognized as one of America’s best universities and has earned the following rankings:

Current Rankings

In 2014, The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked Benedictine University as the No. 1 fastest-growing campus in the country among private nonprofit doctoral institutions between 2002-2012.

Forbes magazine named Benedictine among “America’s Top Colleges” for the fourth consecutive year in 2014.

Benedictine’s Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program is listed by Crain’s Chicago Business as the sixth largest in the Chicago area in 2014.

TheBestColleges.org ranked Benedictine No.1 in the nation for online master's degrees in health administration and health care management; third among the top online Catholic Colleges and Universities, online Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) program and online colleges for accounting degrees; and fifth in the nation for online Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) programs for 2014.

TheBestSchools.org ranked Benedictine among the top 10 online Christian colleges in the United States for 2013. Benedictine’s online Associate of Arts in Business Administration program ranked No. 1 in the nation and online M.B.A. Entrepreneurship program ranked among the top 10 in the nation for 2013.

U.S. News & World Report consistently lists Benedictine University among the top colleges and universities in the nation and recognizes BenU for campus ethnic diversity. For 2014, Benedictine was named to its list of “Best Online Bachelor’s Programs,” Best Online Graduate Business Programs,” "Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs" and “Best Online Graduate Education Programs.”

StateUniversity.com ranks Benedictine University as the second safest four-year school in Illinois based on a scale that accounts for the severity and frequency of on-campus crime in 2012.

Benedictine University’s Police Department in 2013 became the first private University law enforcement agency in Illinois to earn accreditation through the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.

Affordablecollegesonline.org ranks Benedictine University among the top 25 most affordable Catholic colleges and universities in the country with the highest starting salaries earned by graduates and among the most affordable colleges in Illinois for online programs for 2013.

Education and technology blog edcetera named Benedictine University at Mesa among 10 universities in the nation on the cutting edge of tech for 2013.

Recognized by the Daily Herald Business Ledger on a list of “Oldest Companies and Organizations” for 2013.

Named to Military Advanced Education’s 2014 Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities list.

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Benedictine University is an independent Roman Catholic institution located in Lisle, Illinois just 25 miles west of Chicago, and has branch campuses in Springfield, Illinois and Mesa, Arizona. Founded in 1887, Benedictine provides 55 undergraduate majors and 15 graduate and four doctoral programs. Benedictine University is ranked No. 1 among the country’s fastest-growing campuses between 2002-2012 in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s list of private nonprofit doctoral institutions, and Forbes magazine named Benedictine among “America’s Top Colleges” for the fourth consecutive year in 2014. Benedictine University’s Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program is listed by Crain’s Chicago Business as the sixth largest in the Chicago area in 2014.